Alurius Brightsong
Alurius Brightsong is one of the many Death Knights in the service of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, stationed in the Ruins of the Scarlet Enclave. He is an undead High Elf, slain shortly after the fall of the Sunwell to Kel'thuzad's magic and raised in the service of the Scourge. He is one of the first Death Knights to emerge from Acherus and took part in both the destruction of the Scarlet Enclave, as well as the seige of Naxxramas. As a character, Alurius was created on the launch of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. He was one of the first Death Knights to join the Horde, and was made as a character study into the differences between High Elven and Blood Elven characters and the percieved role of race in the Horde. Biography "Your brother should be tending to his people, in Silvermoon. Not wandering lost in the woods for the sake of humans!" "He doesn't think he's lost in those woods, uncle." 'Birth' Alurius Brightsong was born to a small family within the borders of Silvermoon in the year 228 BDP (Before the Dark Portal); 362 by the King's Calendar. Straying quickly from the path of his family of Magisters and artisans of enchanting, Alurius very quickly took to The Holy Light as the belief was held by quel'dorei society. At the same time which the dwarves met the gnomes and the great city of Gnomeregan was built, Alurius ventured from the safety of the forests of Quel'Thalas and into the lands of humanity. 'Life' It was news of these changes coming to the lands south of Quel'Thalas which drew Alurius to venture further and further from the land of the elves. He traveled far and wide, visiting each of the major human kingdoms and expanding on his knowledge of The Holy Light through the journey. It was the militarization of the Church of the Holy Light in Stormwind which led Alurius to return to his homeland. Traveling with members of the Silver Hand after the First War in order to spread the word of the order, Alurius relied on the protection of his fellow knights as they moved north. The band was unable to avoid the Horde for long on their overland route. As the Second War errupted, and after many skirmishes involving various members of the Grand Alliance on their way north, the band finally found themselves in the forests of Lordaeron; where the modern-day Plaguelands have taken root. The Scourge claimed the last of the survivors of the battles of the First and Second wars which the Silver Hand relied upon. During the Legacy of the Damned campaign of the Scourge in Lordaeron the last of the Silver Hand was routed and slain. Alurius was one of the corpses resulting from the conflict, slain in the same camp which Halahk the Lifebringer was put to death in. 'Death' In the ranks of the Scourge even the most mindless forms of undead can have their fates gleaned by the minutae of their actions. Some are raised further and further in rank as their will is returned in some capacity. Others are used as fodder, raised for an explicit purpose and discarded as a broken weapon or sundered piece of armor. Alurius was fortunate enough to be seen as a clever creature in life and in death, and so was granted more and more freedoms under the domination of the necromancers which served Arthas. It was the journey to Northrend and the severing of the link between the Lich King and many of his subjects which allowed these varied undead to learn and grow, as the necromancers could not focus their efforts on their thralls constantly. Alurius regained much of his previous form as he was elevated from mere skeletal worker to a crafter of goods and artisan of enchantments. With the unification of the will of Ner'zhul and Arthas Menethil the Scourge were given a new purpose; the strong personality of King Arthas allowed many of the Scourge to bring about their own plans under the watchful domination of the Lich King, and served as the inspiration for a new assault on the lands of the living in the form of Acherus: The Ebon Hold. 'Scarlet Slaughter' The Ebon Hold was completed and stocked with Scourge of all forms. The assault on the Horde and Alliance began as the Lich King poisoned grain from across the oceans. Divine magic fought the tide of undead being raised in droves within Booty Bay and beyond, while every form of assault moved to fight the necropoli across Azeroth. As the last of the Scarlet Crusade gathered to venture to Northrend the Ebon Hold decended upon them, slaughtering untold numbers as Death Knights were raised and armed in the service of the Lich King. Alurius was one of the first to venture out from the Ebon Hold, and took to the field of battle with a cold vengeance. The Battle for Light's Hope Chapel proved to be the salvation of many of the Death Knights present, but the cost was great. Leading the Light-revering races in prayer as they came to grips with the slaughter they had taken part in and the abandonment by the Lich King which they now had to face together, the former priest helped to guide his fellow Knights of the Ebon Blade on a path which would not consume them in their desire for revenge and justice. Unaffected by the gnawing hunger which the destruction of the Sunwell left with many of his race, hailing from a time of High Elves of the Alliance and not Blood Elves of the Horde, and with the soul of a priest tainted by Saronite and death, Alurius walked the world and battled side-by-side through the Northrend Campaign under the banner of the Horde. And of the lost Stormrise Warband. 'The Frozen Halls' To Be Continued... Appearance In life Alurius was a prime example of elvenkind, with a fair complexion and well-kept long blonde hair. He could best have been described as a ruggedly handsome by non-elves, but was a very plain in his chistled features; neither attractive, nor unsightly. In his passing Alurius was stripped of his flesh and raised as a skeleton, only to regain his appearance as rose in rank within the Arthas' Scourge. Still fair skinned and unblemished in his undeath, Alurius still carries the mark of a Death Knight in the frozen mist of his blue glowing eyes. Personality Alurius can best be described as a grim optimist. Speculation Gallery Trivia FOOTER INFOBOX FOR AETHERINE CHARACTERS AND STORY ARC. Category:Horde Category:Blood Elf Category:Horde Death Knight Category:Stormrise Warband Category:High Elf Category:Death Knight Category:2013 Category:To be Archived